…let
each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God
has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of
his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of
circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not
seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor
uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in
the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do
not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of
the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a
freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of
Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So,
brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.[1]
In this section the
apostle wrote to Corinthian believers concerning marriage, circumcision, and
slavery. His teaching was driven by a sense of urgency; the term qualifying the
urgency was “the present distress”[2].
That distress would have included the persecution of believers by Jews and
Romans, as well as events associated with the Jewish rebellion and subsequent
destruction of Jerusalem. The destruction of the temple in 70 CE was hugely
significant since it marked the end of the Jewish age. The temple represented
God’s presence among the people of Israel, and its destruction indicated God’s
absence. The focus of Paul’s recommendations centered on the instability and cruelty
of the time they were about to enter. None of the recommendations of Paul’s
warning flow through history as regulations for believers today. However, there
is at least one principle that rings true and clear, one that people today need
to consider carefully. That principle is, “in whatever condition each was
called, there let him remain with God.” A caveat Paul included for slaves was,
if they were offered freedom they should take it. His warnings were not meant
to prevent people from improving their lives. Paul was burdened by the trials
he saw coming upon believers. It is saddening to read of the suffering and
torture some early believers endured.
The idea of being
called by God, is not common to all Churches, even though it is referred to in
apostolic writings. “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”[3]
There is a relationship between what Peter wrote regarding believers and what
Moses was told to tell the people of Israel; “but you shall be for me a
priestly kingdom and a holy nation.”[4]
The proviso for Israel was “if you obey my voice and keep my covenant.”[5]
For believers, being in the kingdom is a gift from God, yes, we have to
believe, but it is by grace that we are called into God’s kingdom. Appreciating
that we have been called helps us to be confident of our place in that kingdom.
“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”[6]
We have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light to proclaim all
that he has done in love. God is not capricious seeking to take back what he
has given. God’s love is as strong as ever, it is his nature. Peter addressed a
concern that some had in early times writing, the Lord, “is patient with you,
not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.”[7]
We live in a different times to those first believers, yet may have similar concerns;
when it comes to God’s love we have the same assurance. God loves us and wants
us to be secure in his kingdom; he’s paid way too much to let his investments
slip away. We have a responsibility to believe so that we can proclaim God’s
grace in and through our lives. We need to give up being religious in order to
earn a place in God’s kingdom. We are in it, we don’t deserve it, but we’ve got
it, because God loves us. Now, we have to show it! Every day, who we are, where
we are.
I don’t know all the
ways in which God calls people, but judging from ancient times I expect it may
be similar to what Elijah experienced:
…behold,
the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains
and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was
not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was
not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was
not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.[8]
A thin small voice, or
a gentle whisper; it was not the tumultuous violent demonstration of power, but
a gentle comfort that alerted Elijah to God’s presence. God the Creator is
all-powerful, yet his approach to people is gentle and loving. Jeremiah
foretold a time in which God would replace the old covenant with a new
covenant;
…this
is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they
teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they
shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I
will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.[9]
We don’t know how God
writes on our hearts, but we know he does. His calling us into his kingdom will
be such that we attribute it to some particular event or circumstance, or maybe
go unnoticed in the passage of time. However God accomplishes that which he
promised is really not the issue; we need to know that we are wanted and called
by God into his family. I have difficulty recognizing any call in my life; my
introduction to believers was the result of wanting to go out in the evening as
my older sister did. I wanted to go out and have fun with my friends, but my
parents said I could stay out late only if I went with my sister. I guess at
the time that was preferable to staying home.
The most important
feature of being called is not the ability to identify a voice, an event, or
even a time, but to acknowledging that God through Jesus reached out to us,
offering hope and love. I have no idea when or how I was called by God, maybe
it was in the crucifixion of Jesus, maybe through my dad’s advice, or maybe some
sermon I actually listened to. It really doesn’t matter to me if I know the how;
what impresses me is knowing why. Recognizing that God loves me, and wants me
in his family is comforting beyond words. My only wish is that I had realized
this decades ago. In the light of God’s message in Jesus the Church may be an
obstruction to people seeking to simply belong to God’s family. I don’t believe
that the Church began with the intention of hindering people’s relationship
with God, but in many cases that has happened. No matter how good or
well-planned Church programs are they are no substitute for the teaching of
Jesus. Too often Church teachings feature the doctrines of a Church and are
biased toward its plans and programs. The effort and devotion to Church is
misplaced and must be focused on Jesus. The Church depends on its members to
support its infrastructure and programs. We need to understand that God doesn’t
need human planning, or financing, to accomplish his plan. Jesus gave advice on
what to do with wealth; give to the poor. There is nowhere in Jesus’ teaching
that I’m aware of, suggesting believers to put their money into structures or
programs. As a Church member or a believer at large, one’s relationship with
God is personal.
May
grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord. His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus
he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so
that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world
because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. For this
very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness,
and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control
with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual
affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and
are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.[10]
My initial response to
being called by God is denial, supported by a number of thoughts that come to
mind; why me? It’s not logical! What would God want with me? I’m not sure it’s
theologically sound. How can I measure up? Haven’t I made too many mistakes? I
really don’t want to change! I don’t need to include more, but you likely have
a few you could add –not that I want to know what they are. We either feel
self-sufficient or too bad to accept that God would call us into his kingdom. Maybe
the supposed responsibilities of being a citizen in God’s kingdom are too
daunting. As I write I see a pattern played out in a number of situations
where, fear, self-loathing, blaming, or pride are at the base of our
decision-making. Somewhere between the extremes we find acceptance; the point
at which we are willing to submit to God’s love and grace. That God calls us
into his kingdom is really no big deal; he sent his son into the world to be
sacrificed. Our relationship with God the Father will be enhanced when instead
of looking at the Bible as a textbook for religion we acknowledge it as a love
story. The Bible is a library of different records, by different people,
unified by a common purpose –the revelation of God’s love.
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